Monday, July 31, 2023

A Line by Baudelaire

I was captivated today by a line by Charles Baudelaire in Paris Spleen, “I am a cemetery by the moon unblessed.” I loved everything about it - the audacious melancholy of claiming oneself as a cemetery, surpassing even Morrissey's "Cemetery Gates" for sadness; how still and stark and yet how evocative is the line. I especially loved how the adjective "unblessed" is situated after the noun "moon" -- a very uncommon syntax in English. Then, I thought -- Well, that is a bold choice by the English translator. Who is she or he? And what is the original phrase in French? Starting with the second question, it goes: "Je suis un cimetière abhorré de la lune." I am beginner level French, but know that "abhorré" is most commonly translated as "abhorred" or "loathed. "Unblessed" seems like quite a departure, and yet it delivers the overwhelming sensation of feeling bereft & abandoned by everything - even the moon - better than either of the more common options. And, of course, you get the bleak "eh" repetition echoing "cemetery." But the translator is inspired to go one step further to achieve the spell and, as indicated, places the adjective after the noun. "I am a cemetery unblessed by the moon" lacks the rhythm and cadence needed to successfully cast the spell. Voilà, now they got it: "I am a cemetery by the moon unblessed," and I read it in 2023 and feel simultaneously stricken by its eeriness and comforted by the fact that a phrase exists to describe how I have felt in my most abject states.
What about question #2? Who composed the translation? That I have not yet determined. Many signs point to Edgar Allan Poe, but it will take some digging to find out. Feel free to share your thoughts!



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